A Comparative Study on Cybersecurity Awareness Between IT and Non-IT Students at Politeknik Muadzam Shah

Abstract

Cybersecurity awareness has become a critical concern in higher education as students increasingly rely on digital platforms, yet varying academic backgrounds may influence their preparedness to counter cyber threats. This study aims to investigate and compare the levels of cybersecurity knowledge and practices between IT and non-IT students at Politeknik Muadzam Shah. A quantitative survey design was employed, involving 382 respondents comprising 275 IT students and 107 non-IT students, with data analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test for inferential analysis. The findings reveal that IT students demonstrated significantly higher cybersecurity knowledge (m = 4.21, sd = 0.67) and practices (m = 4.07, sd = 0.66) compared to non-IT students (knowledge: m = 3.26, sd = 0.63; practices: m = 3.23, sd = 0.74), with statistical tests confirming these differences as significant (knowledge: u = 4221.000, z = -10.847, p < 0.001; practices: u = 5565.500, z = -9.453, p < 0.001). These results indicate that academic discipline strongly influences cybersecurity awareness, with IT students benefiting from technical exposure while non-IT students display notable gaps. The study underscores the need to integrate cybersecurity education and practical training into non- IT curricula to foster a more security-conscious academic environment.